1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a postage meter machine of the type having a microprocessor that processes commands of a control program containing a number of software modules for realizing the operating functions of the postage meter machine, the control program including a software postage module that contains postage data and commands and/or data for designing a postage user interface to be presented on a display.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
A postage meter machine of the above type is disclosed in European Application 0 718 801, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,064,991, assigned to the same assignee (Francotyp-Postalia AG and Co.) as the present application. This document describes a user interface for a postage meter machine, whereby a user is prompted by presentations on a display screen in order to obtain information and to enter data that are required for the operation of the postage meter machine. The postage meter machine contains a microprocessor that processes commands of a control program. The control program contains a number of software modules that respectively generate menu images and prompt the user to enter data. The postage module is an important software module, which contains postage data and commands and/or data for designing the postage user interface to be displayed on the display screen. As is known, the postage rates are included in the postage data, these being dependent on the country of use, for example Germany, Europe, America, and on the type of mail such as letter, postcard, package, and on the type of shipping such as, for example, registered, special delivery, etc. The user is informed of the various shipping possibilities by the postage user interface, which contains at least one menu image, and is supported in the selection of various parameters. For example, the user can select shipping possibilities on the display using soft keys or scroll keys and can select a suitable parameter. Further, there is the possibility of branching to further menu images that are arranged in the fashion of a tree structure. In accord therewith, the postage module contains instructions and data for designing the postage user interface. In the prior art, the various software modules of the control program are intermittently linked with one another. When, as a result of an updating, data or commands of the postage module must be modified, then conventionally operations must be performed on the entire control program. In addition to modifying the data commands of the postage module, data and commands of the other software modules also must be adapted. In practice, this means that the entire control program must be subjected to a complex review, enable procedures must be implemented for this new control program, and software quality monitoring as well as function tests for software modules must ensue.
This procedure is complicated and requires substantial developmental outlay.
An object of the present invention is to provide a postage meter machine wherein a modification of the control program is enabled in a simple way with little outlay and with high operating dependability.
This object is achieved in a postage meter machine having a microprocessor that processes commands of a control program containing a number of software modules for the realization of the operating functions of the postage meter machine, the control program including a postage module that contains postage data and commands and/or data for designing a postage user interface to be displayed on the display, wherein the postage module is stored separately from other modules of the control program in a memory module whose content can be modified, and wherein the postage module offers data at a data interface to further software modules of the control program.
According to the invention, the postage module is stored separately from other software modules of the control program in a memory module whose content can be modified. When postage data and commands and/or data for designing a postage user interface to be displayed on the display are to be modified, then only this memory module need be accessed and the content thereof modified. In this way, the determination of the postage can be expanded by software commands with which it is possible to realize a modified postage calculation. Every modification at the postage module, accordingly, is reduced to a modification of the memory area in the memory module. A modification of the further software modules is not required. Such modifications can relate to postage data, i.e. the rates for the individual postal matter parameters, as well as to the type of graphic presentation on the display. In order for further software modules to be able to access data of the postage module within the framework of processing the overall control program, the postage module has a standardized data interface for data. When the postage module is modified, then this data interface remains the same in terms of its structure. It is then assured that, even given a modified postage module, the data emitted as an output by the modified module can be unproblemmatically further-processed. The data interface, for example, can have a structure such that it references memory areas of the postage module in which the relevant data are stored for an access.
In an embodiment of the invention the control program includes a display module that contains data and instructions for controlling the display, and that the display module also accesses data of the standardized interface. The display module controls the hardware of the display. By accessing the standardized interface of the postage module, the postage module need not contain any hardware-relevant data and commands for the display, and thus cam have a correspondingly reduced capacity. Nonetheless, it is also assured given a modification of-the postage module that the display is properly driven.
In another embodiment of the invention the further software modules of the control program xe2x80x94with the exception of the postage module xe2x80x94are stored in a read-only memory, preferably in an EPROM module. These software modules form so-called Firmware, that is relatively closely adapted to hardware components of the postage meter machine. Accordingly, these software modules need not be modified often during the service life of a postage meter machine, since hardware components of the postage meter machine likewise need to be modified only seldomly. The corresponding software modules are therefore stored in an inexpensive read-only memory.
Preferably, an EEPROM module that can be programmed by the microprocessor is provided as the memory module having variable contents. This EEPROM module contains the data and commands of the postage module. Given a modification or replacement of the overall postage module, the programming of the EEPROM module can ensue via the microprocessor itself.
In one version of the invention, the modification of the content of the programmable memory module can ensue by transmitting data and commands via a modem or another suitable device interface, from a data central to the postage meter machine, i.e. a remotely controlled reloading of the memory module ensues. These measures make it possible that the user of the postage meter machine will have to expend only a minimal outlay if the postage module must be modified.
Another possibility of modifying the content of the programmable memory module is to store the data and commands for the postage module on a storage card, for example a chip card. The data are then read in a microprocessor-supported manner for reloading the programmable memory module, and are communicated from the card reader to the memory through the microprocessor.
In another version the programmable memory module is utilized as a replaceable component. For modifying the postage module, the memory module is replaced by a different one. This measure in fact requires a hardware intervention into the postage meter machine. Given a favorable arrangement of the memory module, however, the demands made of the technical expertise of the operating personnel are relatively slight.
In another embodiment of the invention that programming data relating to the postage user interface are reloaded into the programmable memory module separately from postage data. As a result of regulations of the applicable post office, postage data can change relatively frequently. A separate reloading of postage data and programming data for the postage user interface has the advantage that the programming outlay for generating such data is reduced. The development outlay when modifying the postage module is therefore also correspondingly reduced.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the control program can generally contain a menu module that contains commands and/or data for designing a user interface to be displayed on the display. This menu module can, for example, be a service module that, in addition to containing data and commands for designing a service user interface, also contains test data with which function tests of the postage meter machine can be implemented. When the menu module must be modified, then it suffices to modify the content of the memory module. Further modifications of the firm wear or of other software modules are not required. The further software modules of the control program access data via the data interface. As long as this data interface also remains unmodified given a modification-of the menu model, the proper function of the postage meter machine is assured.